Take Good Care of My Baby
| "Take Good Care of My Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Vee | ||||
| from the album Take Good Care of My Baby | ||||
| B-side | "Bashful Bob" | |||
| Released | August 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 1961 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:36 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Writer(s) | Carole King and Gerry Goffin | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Bobby Vee singles chronology | ||||
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"Take Good Care of My Baby" is a song written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and made famous by Bobby Vee,[1] when it was released in 1961. It quickly became popular, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in September. The song is noted for being incredibly similar in musical structure to "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" by Neil Sedaka.
Covers & Answers
The song was covered by The Beatles during their audition at Decca Records on January 1, 1962. Dion also recorded a version, though it was not released as a single. Gary Lewis & The Playboys recorded a cover version in 1965 on their She's Just My Style album. In 1968, it became a hit again, this time for Bobby Vinton, but his version reached only #33 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in comparison. Vee re-recorded the song as a ballad in 1973 on his album Ain't Nothing Like a Sunny Day (released under his real name, Robert Thomas Velline). However, it's his original version, along with Vinton's, that remain as staples of oldies radio stations. musicians on the record included Barney Kessell, Tommy Allsup, and Howard Roberts on guitar, Clifford Hills on bass, Robert Florence on piano, Earl Palmer on drums, Elliot Fisher, Leonard Malarsky, Sid Sharp, Tibor Zelig, Isreal Baker and Lou Raderman on violins, Ralph Schaffer and Harry Hymas on cellos Alexander Neiman and Wilbert Nuttycombe on viola.
It has also been covered by, among others, Smokie (Solid Ground, 1981), Micky Dolenz and German pop star Sasha (Dick Brave and the Backbeats, 2003).
An answer song, entitled "I'll Take Good Care of Your Baby", was recorded by Ralph Emery. It was released as a single on Liberty F-55383. Another answer song, entitled "You Should Know I'm Still Your Baby", was recorded by Sammi Lynn. It was released as a single on Sue Records 45-752.
Charts
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (Record Retailer)[2] | 3 |
| United Kingdom (NME)[3][nb 1] | 1 |
| United Kingdom (Record Mirror)[3] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] | 1 |
In popular culture
From 1999 to 2009, Take Good Care of My Baby was used in adverts for SMA Progress follow-on milk formula.
Notes
- ↑ Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" and Frankie Vaughan's "Tower of Strength" were classified jointly as NME's number-one single on 2 December 1961.[3]
References
- ↑ Bobby Vee interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ↑ "Artist Chart History Details: Bobby Vee". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Alan. "Every No.1 in the 1960s is listed from all the nine different magazine charts!". Dave McAleer's website. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ↑ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
External links
| Preceded by "Michael" by The Highwaymen |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Bobby Vee version) September 18, 1961 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles |
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